The Harvard community has access to a phenomenal array of opportunities to learn about sustainability, whether through a dedicated academic degree program, elective courses, or by attending some of the many lectures and talks that happen each week.
The Harvard University Center for the Environment maintains a guide to the great selection of environmentally-related courses available at Harvard and in the vicinity. There is a PDF and an online version, listing courses in each School, as well as some of our neighboring institutions such as MIT and Tufts.
The Harvard Extension School offers a range of courses in environmental management and sustainability that can be taken individually or applied toward a master's degree in environmental management. These are offered during fall and spring terms.
Courses
Sustainable Buildings: Design, Construction, and Operations
Our built environment has a substantial impact on energy and material resources as well as being a critical determinant of health, comfort, and productivity for occupants. In response, there are numerous local, national, and international entities adopting green, sustainable criteria for new construction and renovations. This course approaches sustainable development for buildings by examining how building components and systems affect human performance and well-being.
Organizational Change Management for Sustainability
This course aims to address the real life challenges of environmental sustainability by building change agent capacities of students who operate within myriad institutional and other contexts. The course begins by exploring the wide range of institutionally related environmental impacts and the associated roles of individuals within these settings. Harvard University is used as a primary case study to illustrate institutional practices, including procurement, utility supply and consumption, building design and operations, transportation, and waste production and recycling.
